Water Risk in Africa: My Learning Journey to Ghana

Katherine Cherry is a member
of The Coca-Cola Company’s Global Public Affairs & Communications team,
based in Atlanta, Ga. This summer, she hopped a plane to West Africa to
help staff the World Economic Forum on Africa in Abuja, Nigeria.

While in the
region, Katherine decided to take Albert Einstein’s words of wisdom to heart: “The
only source of knowledge is experience.”
She adventured south from Nigeria to Ghana on a learning journey to get an up
close and personal view of Coca-Cola’s sustainability programs at work. Setting
out from Accra to the rural countryside of Ghana, Katherine experienced the
incredible work of Coca-Cola’s partnership with Water Health
International. Here is her story.

Describe your first impression of Water Health International.

I stepped
out of the passenger seat of our off-roading sedan, after a bumpy and dusty
trek out of Accra, Ghana, to the village of Pakro. Before my hand could close
the door, I was wrapped into a bear hug by a man wearing a traditional Ghanaian
robe, a Stevie Wonder baseball cap and a huge, bright smile. “I am the Chief of
Pakro Region – welcome to my Water Health Center!”

The message
was clear – this is not just another fly-by-night development project run by
Westerners on weeklong excursions to the developing world, posting selfies with
African children.

This was HIS
Water Health Center. The community runs Water Health International.

He escorted
me into the pristine blue and white facilities, introducing me to his team – clad
in sharp Water Health International uniforms, all members of the Pakro
Community – engineers, community ambassadors, technicians, sales and
distribution representatives.

By engaging,
training and employing members of the local community wherever they operate,
Water Health International is building a sustainable future, ensuring its
continued success. The community is educated about water health. The community
becomes a talent pipeline to run the Water Health Centers. The community
becomes the driving force for the prevention of waterborne illness. The Water Health International model engrains
itself into the fabric of the communities in which it operates.

Describe
some of the people you met during your visit. What were their names and roles?
Did they have a compelling story?

I had the
opportunity to have a World Economic Forum Global Shaper from the Accra Hub,
Gary Al-Smith, join me on my site visit to Water Health International. Gary is
a hard-hitting journalist, channeling his journalistic skills as a vibrant
sports host on CitiFM in Ghana. He is a social media wiz and a soccer fanatic. We
have pledged not to discuss the outcome of the 2014 USA vs. Ghana World Cup
Match for the foreseeable future!

World Economic Forum Global Shaper from the Accra Hub,
Gary Al-Smith, connects with a local.

As a local
Ghanaian, I was especially grateful to have such an awesome companion for our
interviews. Gary was able to translate and use his interviewing skills to strike
up conversations with locals that I am sure that I, as a visiting foreigner,
would have never been able to pull off.

Gary floored me when he launched into a conversation with a very intimidating man in the
community of Manhean, Ghana, who has made a business of distributing contaminated
water from a dirty creek outside the town. Despite strongly disagreeing with
what the man was doing, Gary was able to break down barriers and connect with the
man on an interpersonal level about the importance of not drinking contaminated
water, highlighting the mission of Water Health International.

Here is a
video of Gary’s impression of his experience with Water Health International.

Also, be sure to follow him for further updates on his work in Ghana on twitter
at @garyalsmith!

After visiting Water Health
International, are you more passionate about sustainability and community?

I believe
Gary said it best in the car on the way back to Accra. When you live in a city
with clean drinking water, it is easy to live a life of blissful ignorance in
regard to water. I brushed my teeth this morning in without a second thought
about the quality of the water in Atlanta. Yet, for my friends in Pakro and Manhean
Ghana, this assurance is not the case. That is why Water Health International
is so important. They help make access to clean water a reality for people in
communities around the world. As Gary
said, after our humbling and inspiring experience in rural Ghana, complaints
like your cell phone battery dying or being stuck in traffic seem absurdly
insignificant. I am very glad to have gained this life altering perspective.

What was
your favorite memory of your experience?

I tried... and failed… at carrying water buckets
on my head! The community ambassador at the Manhean Water Health Centre, Mrs.
Diana, was so patient with me. Her full-bellied laughter at my attempts to
balance the precarious bucket on my head still rings in my memory with absolute
delight! Carrying water is a skill taught to young girls in Ghana. It is an
essential part of their daily lives and a great point of cultural pride. It was
incredibly inspiring to see buckets of clear, clean, fresh water from the Water
Health Centre being carried back on women’s heads from throughout the
community. They are the keystone of change. By fetching the clean water, they
are ensuring that both they and their families can thrive free of waterborne
illness. Here's the video:

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